


You are the most important thing of my whole life

by 708605



Series: Neal and Peter in a new life [1]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Broken Bones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:35:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/708605/pseuds/708605
Summary: Peter and Neal have been in a relationship for a while. In this alternative universe, Neal is an artist who has a gallery run by Elizabeth and Mozzie. He still lives in June and Peter is still an FBI Agent. Neal had a dark past but did not actually commit many crimes or be arrested.They both met when one of Neal's paint appeared on the black market and Peter started to follow his trail, but that is history for another time.In this story, we will explore some of the trust issues that Neal has due to an abusive relationship in the past.This story is kind of cliché, I like to explore the feelings of the characters in this type of environment. I hope you enjoy this little adventure.
Relationships: Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey
Series: Neal and Peter in a new life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819603
Kudos: 20





	You are the most important thing of my whole life

"Hey, I think we're going to have to do a rain check on our dinner today." Peter heard his boyfriend saying that over the phone and a red light went on. Neal was the one who was most eager to know the fancy restaurant where they both had reservations for tonight.

"Problems at work?" Peter asked as he held a case file in one hand and the phone to his ear in the other.

"Not exactly ..." Something in Neal's voice made Peter stop halfway between putting the file on his desk and sitting on his chair.

"Are you alright?" Was Neal coming down with something? Neal just sighed and Peter started to become genuinely concerned.

"Neal?"

"It's stupid, you know. Look, I'm going to send you a picture of what happened." And hell if Peter wasn't feeling his blood pressure rise with the worry.

Then he received an image of what was an immobilized ankle on a stool. Neal had been hurt, Peter was now putting his things together because he wanted to be with the man he fell in love because if he was hurt, Peter would be with him. And while gathering his things quickly, taking the car key, and waving to Jones to tell him that he was going to leave most likely for the rest of the day, he kept talking to Neal.

"Neal! What happened? Did you break your leg?"

"What are you doing? Peter, you don't have to rush out of your work, I'm fine!" Neal ignored the agent's question while listening to Peter give instructions to Jones explaining that he was leaving because Neal needed him.

"What happened to you? And why didn't you call me before?" Peter was worried and angry at the same time now, Neal was injured relatively seriously he was in the hospital and did not warn him.

"Damn it, Peter! That's why I didn't call you before! But I needed you to know that I would cancel the reservations…" Neal didn't even have a chance to finish what he was talking about before Peter continued to rant.

"Neal, screw the reservations, do you have what looks like so much as a broken leg to me and are you worried about my work or the dinner reservations? Look, I'm coming and you will tell me exactly what happened and why I only know now. " And with that Peter hung up and Neal stared at his cell phone in astonishment. What the hell had just happened?

It had been a stupid accident. Part of the reason for not telling Peter so far was the shame and partly the simple reason that he was fine. It was inconvenient, but it was not a life-threatening injury. He couldn't imagine why Peter had acted so crazy.

Neal sighed and moved to go to the bathroom. He was still unsteady on his crutches and when he managed to stand up, a blood rush to his leg made him groan in pain. It was going to be a tough four weeks for sure, he thought as he limped slowly to the bathroom.

* * *

He was in no mood to change clothes so Peter was going to see him in a sweatpants and T-shirt. It was the only thing that went through the cast on the leg. Whatever they gave him at the hospital was ending because he started to feel a dull ache with every beat of his heart on the broken joint. Neal thought how hellish it would be to get up again to get the pills he had left on the kitchen table, but he took a deep breath and started the painful process of getting up with the help of crutches again when he heard the sound of keys on his door, Peter was coming to shout at him in person.

When Peter opened the door and entered Neal's loft, he saw him trying to get up with the aid of crutches, Peter's heart ached when he saw how his lover was having a hard time doing something simple like getting up off the couch.

"Stay there, you don't have to get up because I'm here." Peter went in and followed Neal, placing a hand on his biceps and helping his lover to sit back carefully, when he was ready to support the injured appendix on the stool again, Neal groaned and closed his eyes in pain. Peter's heart ached in sympathy.

"Where are your pain killers?" Peter asked his voice softer this time. Seeing Neal injured made him no longer want to yell at him but to hug the man until his pain was gone.

"On the kitchen table." Neal replied and continued with his eyes closed, breathing through his nose trying to deal with the pain.

"Here. Watch out, let me help you." Peter held out the pills and a glass of water and helped Neal to take them since his hands were shaking.

"Thank you." Neal said and his voice failed at the end, so he cleared his throat and spoke again, this time winning a smile and a caress on his face. The artist leaned over to the touch and Peter laughed, Neal was like a puppy that you can't get angry long after he eats his slippers.

"Are you going to tell me now what happened to you?" Peter asked more calmly this time.

"I slipped in the bathroom, sprained my ankle, and fractured the fibula as well." Neal said as he massaged the thigh on the injured leg without even realizing it.

"All this for a slip in the bathroom?" Peter couldn't believe that Neal, agile, quick, and smart would slip into the bathroom to the point of breaking a bone. Neal was agile like a lynx, he was kind of hard to believe.

"I know, it's ridiculous but that's what happened. I slept late yesterday, drank too much wine, and woke up with a hangover. I wasn't paying attention. So I got in the bathroom for a quick shower before my first class, when I stepped out of the bathtub I slipped and fell, twisting my left ankle in the process."

"I'm sorry, love, I know how it hurts." Peter said as he stroked Neal's hair, the painkillers that were starting to work caused the pain to decline enough that the younger man started to feel sleepy.

"Have you already broken your leg?" Neal looked up while talking and Peter felt butterflies in his stomach as he watched his boyfriend's incredible blue eyes, he always felt like the luckiest man in the world when Neal turned his incredible eyes on him.

"Yes, when I was in Quantico. I delayed my training in weeks."

"Hmmm." Neal grunted half asleep.

"Hey, if you're going to sleep I think you'd better go to bed, there we can support your leg better and you'll be more comfortable." Peter said getting up to help Neal in bed.

"I don't want to move now."

"I know baby, but I will help you, come on."

Peter then took the crutches, gave one to Neal, and supported him on the other side and they slowly reached the bed. The agent deposited the injured man as carefully as possible and lifted his immobilized leg on some pillows. He could see that Neal's fingers showing outside the plaster cast were swollen.

"Oh Neal, what am I going to do with you?" Peter grunted to himself while Neal quickly fell asleep. The agent then took off his jacket, loosened his tie, went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, preparing to watch Neal's sleep.

* * *

About two hours later Neal woke up. The pain in the leg and the call from nature were an unpleasant alarm clock. He looked at the couch and noticed Peter sleeping with the TV on, outside the day had darkened.

He reached for the crutches by the bed and began the slow and painful task of getting up. He was halfway through when he felt a steady hand supporting him, he looked up to see Peter, eyes dull with sleep giving him the support he needed to stand.

"What about you and not asking for help when you need it? I was right here on the couch!" Peter was nervous again. Why did Neal never ask for help?

"You were sleeping and I need to go to the bathroom, I need to get used to this for the next few weeks, you won't be here all the time!" Neal shouted back, the whole production that Peter was doing was really irritating him now.

"But I'm here now and you could get hurt worse, does it cost you to ask me to help?" Yes, they were yelling at each other now.

"I can do it myself." And then Neal turned and began to hobble slowly with the crutches he was not yet fully accustomed to and disappeared down the hall towards the bathroom. Peter stood beside the bed, appalled at how difficult it was to deal with an injured Neal.

* * *

When Neal returned, he went straight to the couch, determined not to go back to sleep and talk to Peter. The whole drama around his broken ankle didn't make any sense to him. It was his leg that would be encased in plaster for at least 4 weeks, it was he who was feeling a pain never felt before and that was not why he was doing drama.

Peter was in the kitchen, apparently fiddling with the refrigerator. When the agent returned, he had a tray with yogurt and a sandwich. Neal was not hungry.

"I'm not hungry Peter." Neal said as he rested his ankle back on the stool near the couch.

"Do you need to eat, when was the last time you ate something?" Neal was not going to answer that it had been the night before, a skinny dinner before he drank too much wine, which had caused his morning hangover that resulted in this whole disaster.

"It's what I imagined. You need to eat, these painkillers will make you sick if you keep taking them on an empty stomach." Neal sighed. They would solve this now.

"Peter, what's going on? I just broke my ankle, I'm not on my deathbed, don't you think you're acting out a little bit with this whole thing?" And then Peter got up and it was like Mount Vesuvius was ready to erupt when he looked at Neal, the younger man even stepped back slightly to see the look on the agent's face.

"You know, I was controlling myself because you are hurt and obviously in pain. I am controlling myself not to yell at you Neal, not to be an idiot when you are clearly not in a position to take it, but it is totally unbelievable to me that you can't understand why I'm upset about being left out." Peter couldn't really understand. Neal was amazing at taking care of everyone, when Peter hurt his neck last month and needed to stay on a neck brace Neal was kind, took care of him, made food (always wonderful by the way) and never left his side. How was it possible that he refused the same care when things were reversed?

"Left out? I called you, I told you I had hurt myself, what else did you want me to do?" Neal did not really understand where he had gone wrong.

It was amazing how Neal was unaware of everything that was wrong with this story and Peter was tired of fighting the urge to throw everything in the younger man's face, broken leg, or not.

"Let's start at the beginning and try to make you understand things from my point of view. So come on, you fell into the bathroom as soon as you woke up, got hurt and what did you do next?"

Neal was taken aback by that question, but he answered anyway.

"I assessed if it was something very serious, like an open fracture and if I needed to call an ambulance for example, it wasn't, it looked a lot like pulled ligaments. So I got up and went to the couch to assess the damage. I couldn't put any weight on my ankle, so I jumped there, not wanting to do any more damage by trying to walk on my injured leg." Neal said as if it were the obvious thing to do.

"And you didn't think about asking for help? Calling me to help you?"

"Peter, my foot was not falling out my leg and no bones coming out of my leg or blood, why would I have you cross half the city to come and put ice on my leg?"

"Is that what you did? Did you sit, put ice on your leg and wait?"

"Yes. I finished dressing, wrapped my leg in an elastic bandage, and went to get some ice from the fridge. I sat on the couch and waited half an hour."

"Let me guess, it didn't work."

"No, half an hour later I just couldn't stand it anymore, I was very swollen, my foot wouldn't fit in any shoes and I couldn't walk, so I decided to go to the ER."

"And did you go alone?"

"Yes. Mozzie and El are busy at the gallery today, June is out of town with the driver..."

"Why didn't you call me Neal?"

"I already told you, it was stupid to make you cross the city to take your clumsy boyfriend to the ER with a sprained ankle ..."

"But it wasn't just a twist, was it? And how the hell did you go down all those stairs alone on a broken leg?"

"It was difficult, it hurt and at times I wanted to cry, but I did it. I ordered a taxi and got to the ER. There the nurses helped me, it was relatively quick."

"I can't believe you fell, broke an ankle, went to the ER alone, and didn't ask for help from me! Don't you trust me, Neal?"

"I already told you that it has nothing to do with confidence, I didn't want to bother you with something that I thought would be silly."

"But you broke your ankle and even if it was just a sprain I worry about you and would like to be with you. I wonder how terrible it must have been to wait alone, without someone to support you. I'm very disappointed to think that you don't see me as that person." And Neal's eyes widened at what Peter just said. He loved the man, more than anyone he had ever loved, it was not a matter of trust, in fact, he thought of calling him at various times during the ordeal, but it was serious when he said he saw no need to take Peter away across the city to go with him to the hospital to take care of a sprained ankle.

"Of course not, I trust you with my life ..." Peter didn't even let Neal finish his sentence before interrupting again, he would make Neal understand once and for all.

"It's not what it looks like on this side, Neal. And in the hospital? Didn't you feel alone when you were taken from side to side only by nurses and with no one you know to hold your hand when it hurt too much? And I have sure, that here I speak for El and Mozzie too, I bet they feel the same way I do." Then Neal sighed in defeat. Deep down he understood that the normal thing to do in such a case was to ask for help. But he was not the type of person to whine about his wounds, he hid and licked them in private.

"I didn't mean it. I just know that everyone is too busy to deal with this kind of boring thing." Neal said speaking quietly as if he didn't think something like that was important enough for his friends or boyfriend to miss a day at work taking him to the hospital and staying with him until he was sure he would be fine.

"Sweetheart, even if it was just a sprained ankle I would like to be there with you, to hold your hand, to take care of you. Understand once and for all that you are more important than my job, you are more important than a case and I'm sure you are more important than El and Mozzie's work too." And Peter hoped that the fruit of that conversation would be Neal to understand that he was more important than anything else in the agent's life.

"I'm sorry. I promise that next time I will call you and you better be prepared because if my nose runs, you will know." Neal looked at Peter with teary eyes and the agent lost all desire to continue fighting with the younger man in front of him and he simply kissed him, as if his life depended on it. When they separated, Peter rested his forehead on Neal's forehead and said smiling, all anger forgotten.

"It's good that I know exactly when your next sniff is going to happen." And Neal laughed, a complete laugh and Peter felt like his heart was going to explode, this sweet man, who cared about everyone but himself was his to take and he couldn't believe it sometimes.

"I'm serious, I want to know because I want to help you and I can't miss the chance to pamper you. You always do so much for others, I need to be able to give back at some point."

"I love you, Peter. I didn't mean to hurt you, I just thought it wasn't worth the job, but you're right, I missed you until death with me in the hospital, it was horrible." It was good to admit in the end.

"Well, now I'm here and I'm going to spoil you rotten until you get back to your two feet."

"You know, I have at least four weeks of cast and then some more rehab."

"And I will be with you every step of the way. Always, because I love you, you stubborn idiot." And Neal laughed. That was another way for Peter to say I love you.

"Well, I'm hungry, can we order dinner from that sushi place I like ..."

Peter looked at his boyfriend's newly recovered spirits and smiled, Neal had a long way to go before he realized that he was really important in Peter's life and that he really wanted to be with him at all times and not just the good ones, he would also be in the bad, in the painful ones because he loved him and that is what we do for those we love.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it. Leave a comment, I love them. Xoxo.


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